Halliday, a tech startup, recently secured $20 million in Series A funding to advance the development of AI agents that can operate safely on blockchain networks without the need for traditional smart contract development. This funding round, led by Andreessen Horowitz’s crypto arm, a16z crypto, brings the company’s total funding to over $26 million.
The investment in Halliday underscores the increasing confidence in the company’s approach to addressing a significant challenge in the field of AI: deploying autonomous agents in decentralized environments where errors can have serious consequences. Griffin Dunaif, CEO of Halliday, highlighted the importance of safety and compliance in AI operations on blockchain networks. He explained that typical smart contract development for AI agents is prone to errors that can lead to breaches, leaving systems vulnerable. Halliday’s goal is to provide robust safety infrastructure that enables businesses to oversee AI-enabled automations securely.
One of Halliday’s key innovations is the Agentic Workflow Protocol (AWP), which establishes “immutable guardrails” for AI agents operating on blockchain networks. These guardrails ensure that autonomous systems can perform tasks within predefined parameters without the risk of exploits or unintended actions. This approach aims to address the challenge of enabling autonomous agents to interact with financial systems and digital assets while upholding security and compliance standards.
Halliday has already implemented its AI-enabled workflow engine with prominent partners such as DeFi Kingdoms, Core Wallet by Ava Labs, and ApeChain. These workflows empower AI agents to automate complex processes like treasury management, recurring payments, and business-to-business transactions across multiple blockchain networks while adhering to predefined rules. By handling protocol integrations, data translation, and multi-chain execution, Halliday streamlines the development process, enabling teams to create innovative applications efficiently.
The company’s technology offers enterprise customers a pathway to leveraging blockchain networks and AI agents without the need for specialized development teams or the security risks associated with smart contracts. This accessibility could accelerate the adoption of AI in financial services by providing a cost-effective solution. Halliday’s vision extends beyond web3, aiming to bring its Workflow Protocol to fintechs and banks seeking to enter the crypto space, offering solutions for stablecoin subscriptions, global yield products, and programmable treasury management.
The intersection of AI and blockchain presents promising opportunities for new business models, with autonomous agents capable of executing complex transactions autonomously. However, concerns about rogue AI agents and exploitable code have hindered enterprise adoption. Halliday’s approach of creating a middleware layer that handles security and execution while allowing businesses to focus on defining AI logic could make AI-blockchain integration more accessible to mainstream enterprises.
With the recent funding, Halliday plans to enhance its AI workflow protocol and expand its team, drawing talent from top technology companies. Halliday Payments, a first-party application built on the protocol, showcases how AI agents can simplify blockchain transactions and lower the barrier for new users. By delegating workflows to autonomous systems, teams can expedite the development of groundbreaking applications, revolutionizing enterprise operations.
As businesses explore AI’s potential to automate workflows, solutions like Halliday’s that address safety and compliance challenges will play a pivotal role in mainstream adoption. The future of enterprise AI lies in automated workflows that replace manual processes, paving the way for innovation and efficiency in a rapidly evolving digital landscape.
